Americus Times-Recorder, Americus, Georgia

December 10, 2011

Ribbon officially cut on new hospital

 Keven Gilbert
The Americus Times-Recorder

AMERICUS — At a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday at the new Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, Joel Wernick, Phoebe Putney Health Systems CEO, recalled the tornado or March 1, 2007, saying that the disaster created the opportunity for the new state of the art health care facility to be constructed in Sumter County.Wernick said when talks began with the Americus-Sumter Hospital Authority and the Sumter Regional Hospital Board, it was determined that the former Sumter Regional site would not be sufficient for the new facility and the goal of Phoebe was to “build a facility for the future,” not just repair the old one.“We believe in this community,” Wernick said, pointing out that Phoebe Sumter Medical Center stands on 200 acres, allowing for plenty of room for growth. He said the sprawling tract gave hospital officials the opportunity to “turn loose the architects” and design something special. But Wernick reminded that “it is still people that take care of patients, not buildings,” and commended the Phoebe Sumter staff, many of whom were on hand to provide tours of the hospital Saturday.Phoebe Sumter CEO Keith Petersen introduced Sanford Bishop of the U.S. Congress 2nd Congressional District. Bishop recalled the tornado of four years ago and spoke to the devastation he witnessed touring the area with President Bush. He said that he will never forget what he saw, images that left “indelible imprints” on his mind.He spoke with hospital officials who were distraught, but were grateful that no patients were injured during the tornado.Bishop eloquently lamented about Sumter Regional Hospital:“For almost a hundred years, Sumter Regional had been a landmark.“Thousands of families — children, parents, grandparents had received loving care within its walls from generation after generation of caregivers. Babies were born there in the dawn of their lives. Others in the midst of life had their sick and broken bodies healed others at the sunset of their lives transitioned within its walls, from labor to reward. So many years of memories from a building destroyed in just minutes.”Bishop said some individuals questioned if the hospital would be rebuilt or if the community would rebound and fully recover. He said the result was that that the disaster strengthened the resolve of the community to become “stronger and more unified.”In closing Bishop presented Phoebe Sumter with a certificate of special Congressional recognition for its achievement and service.State Sen. George Hooks, D-Americus, followed Bishop at the podium and began by recognizing Donna Burns, deputy director of Administration of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and Charley English, GEMA’s director.Hooks noted the appropriate timing of the Christmas season for the dedication of the new facility, and pointed out that one of Christ’s 12 disciples, Luke, was a medical doctor, who gave the world the Christmas story.Hooks noted that Phoebe Sumter is the eighth hospital to serve Sumter County.“It was in one of these hospitals that the first President of the United States to ever be born in a hospital was born,” Hooks said referring to former President Carter’s birth at the Wise Sanitarium in Plains in 1924. He said a Sumter County hospital licensed the first female medical doctor in Georgia. In addition, he said during the Civil War’s Battle of Atlanta, wounded were brought to Sumter County to receive care. He said the doctor responsible for bring those patients here would go on to become a Baptist minister in Americus and founded the public schools systems in Americus and Albany.“But today we turn a new page, a new chapter in the long and rich history of this county, its medicine and community,” Hooks declared.“We look to the future as we open this beautiful building of healing, not only for this area but for the whole region — the whole southern scope of the United States,” Hooks said.State Rep. Mike Cheokas, R-Americus, followed Hooks, recalling his experience during the aftermath of the 2007 tornado and how he first saw the unbelievable damage while flying over Sumter County in a helicopter with then Gov. Sonny Perdue.He said community officials worked alongside state officials to begin the rebuilding process and recalled the first morning following the tornado that initial efforts were focused on clearing roads to review the damage and provide people with the help they needed.Cheokas recalled people whose property or homes were damaged, who were out “working for the community.” He named City Council member Walton Grant, whose business was destroyed, working alongside other community members that morning.“It shows the dedication and leadership that the community has and uses and how they can come together...” Cheokas said.“Today is really a great day. We are excited about the success of this new facility. We’re glad that we’ve turned a new page in the history of our community and I’m especially thankful to the wonderful people that this community is made up of,” Cheokas said.Americus Mayor Barry Blount addressed the attendees of the ceremony as well.Blount said in the days following the tornado, when the hospital was destroyed,  that he had “no doubt that this community was going forward.”“I think you see today the results of that commitment to our community going forward,” Blount said. “This community rolled up its sleeves and went to work,” he added.Blount said in addition to celebrating the opening of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, “we also celebrate the end of the rebuilding of our community.”He pointed out that the new facility will be a center of new economic development and will make Americus and Sumter County a regional hub for quality health care.“We welcome Phoebe as a partner in our community and look forward to many more years as a partner ... and I’m going to challenge you and challenge our community: We’re going to fill this 200 acres up and you’re probably going to have to buy some additional land one day,” Blount said in closing.Following the speeches, a brief ribbon cutting ceremony was held and guests were invited to eat a barbecue lunch provided by Phoebe Sumter with assistance from the Sumter County Sheriff Office and the Americus Shriners Club.